Nights in Summersea
by bellza
Summary: Returning to Summersea without Triss isn't easy for Briar, Sandry and Daja, but, now as young adults will briar and sandry develop feelings for each other? Briar sandry
1. Chapter 1

"Will you come back to Summersea?" Sandrilene asked her foster siblings, a quiver in her voice.

They were sitting on the roof of the Dicipline cottage Briar had made in his mind, but outside their minds they were still in the Ratey's Inn in Olart.

The three stared at the clouds formulating above them, Daja cross-legged on the thatch, Triss sprawled out with her chin on her hands and Briar with his back to the warm chimeny. Sandry sat with legs dangeling off the roof, tugging at the sleeve of her blue dress.

"I'm going to Lightsbridge." Triss said, still not looking at Sandrilene, although her voice was filled with regret. No one spoke for a time.

"Daja?"

"I will," she replied their eyes met and Sandry smiled.

Now Sandry's attention was on Briar. He looked down at his lap, feeling like nothing more than the four of them living like they had back at Discipline Cottage when they were young.

"Briar?" Sandry whispered.

"I have no where to live." Briar mumbled.

"That doesn't matter," Sandry sounded relieved and this comforted Briar, "You can stay at Dicipline cottage until you get your own."

Briar shuddered remembering the nightmares he had last time he stayed at Dicipline cottage.

"I can't." He said.

Sandry looked confused but to her credit, did not ask why.

"Stay with me." She said. Briar looked up, into her beaming face.

"Are you sure?" He didn't want to have to rely on Sandry.

"Positive." Briar couldn't help grinning, that was Sandry alright, once she made up her mind she stuck to it.

Triss yawened, "It's getting late." She observed, "And I have an early start tomorrow, I think we all do, I'm off to bed."

"Me too" said Daja.

They retreated into their own minds.

"I, we-"

"I should probably-"

"Yes, good idea." Sandry said, as she hastened back to her rooms, leaving Briar alone on the sunny rooftop at Winding Circle.


	2. leaving

The morning dawned bright and Sandry was up early. Trying not to wake Gudruny or her two children she went about her morning jobs. On the way down to breakfast she turned to find Briar sneaking a giggling serving girl out of his rooms. He winked at her. She shook her head and wondered if the girl had been in his rooms when they were on the roof at Diciplince cottage. The thought disturbed her.

Briar led the petite girl down the corridor, he felt strange being cought out by Sandry. He wondered what she thought of him.

She couldn't understand, he was afraid, afraid to ba alone. Afraid of the dreams he had.

"Mr Briar?" He had almost forgotten about the girl. "Will I see you again?"

"I'm leaving for Summersea today." He said shortly.

"Oh, I'm staying with my aunt in Summersea soon!" She said, grabbing on to the front of his tunic and giggling in her high pitched voice. Briar untangled her hands from his shirt.

"thats...good." He said distractedly, slipping into the kitchen, where he found he was the last one down for breakfast.

"Good morning sleepy head!" Said Gudruny,

"Morning." He replied.

"Hurry up and eat." Daja sounded impatient, "I want to get back soon."

"Ok, ok." Briar sat down between Triss and Sandry and began hacking into his poridge. He remembered his first day at Dicipline Cottage, when Sandry had introduced him to the concept of honey on poridge.

What a cencept. He thought now, looking sideways at Sandry who was folding her napkin on her bowl. Gudruny couged slightly, startling Briar, and raised one eyebrow at him. He chuckeled softly and shook his head, people often thought of him and Sandry as a couple. He thought that by now Gudruny would know that there was no underlaying love intrest there.

Sandry excused herself from the table politely and said she would be packing in her rooms.

"Comming my Lady." Gudruny replied hastily to her and hurried up the stairs.

"My Lady." said Gudruny as Sandriline began gathering her belongings, "I have a slight hunch that Master Briar may be interested in you."

"Hmm?" said Sandry distractedly "Interested in what?"

"Interested in you ofcourse!"

Sandry actually snorted.

"I'd like to see him interested in the same woman for more than five minutes."

"Hmm" Was all Gudruny replied "Men are strange."

With all her belongings Sandry headed to the stables to saddle her mare.

"Dutchess!" A voice called across the yard.

"What Briar?" Sandry called back.

"Triss is leaving, come see her off."

Sandry sprinted across the yard in her pale pink dress.

"Heyy." Briar grabbed her around the waist.

"What are you doing?" Sandry complained.

"You're spooking the horse thats all."

"Don't call Triss a horse." Sandry joked, looking at the pale look on Triss's face.

Briar laughed, that was funny, he thought, leaning down the six inches to hug Triss good-bye.

"Miss you Copper-curls." He said, noticing that all three girls had started silently crying.

"Don't be like that." He rubbed his neck, put his arms around Sandry and started to tickle her.

"Stop." she screached, pushing him away, without being able to help realising how tall he had gotten and how white his teeth were. She pushed these thoughts out of her mind with disgust.


	3. mother help us

They had left the Ratry behind, and were now well on their way back to Summersea, Lark and Rosethorn, although they expected to see less of the two now that they had new students.

Sandry felt agitated, she was staring a hole through Briars back, she almost rode into him when he decided to stop for lunch.

"Is that all you ever think about?" said Daja, "feeding yourself?"

"No," Briar said slyly "I think about other things." Nodding his head toward the pretty looking woman behind the counter.

Daja laughed, but Sandry didn't find it humourous.

"That'd be right." She snapped "Two in one day, that's your type of thing isn't it Briar?"

Daja frowned in confusion.

"Sandry I'm joking!" Briar said, "What's got into you?"

Sandry stood in shock for a moment, _I don't want him to be hurt thats all _she thought.

"Control yourself!" She whispered through angry tears, and left the eating house.

Daja looked as confused as ever, for a moment she looked at Brair, but then followed Sandry outside.

Inside, Briar took a seat at the long bar, his head lowered as the woman came over to take his order.

"Trouble in paradise, is it?" She asked, with a wink.

For a moment Briar was confused, but then he understood wht she was saying.

"No." He said, "It's not like that, we've known each other far too long for anything like that."

"That makes absolutely no sence." The woman said, shaking her head.

The bell above the door jangled, and both Briar and the bar woman turned to see who had entered. At first Briar was disipointed that it was not Sandry, but once the person had stepped into the light he could see that it was a perfectly curved, doll faced woman with silky black hair. She stepped toward him, but behind her Briar could see Sandry's perfectly contrasting pale hair and her lowered head, with her slightly tanned arm resting on the window sill.

"Hellow handsome." said the stranger, but Briar was too occupied to answer, he had never seen Sandry look like this before. _Or maybe she always has, _Briar thought, _and I just haven't looked at her. _

The stranger cleared her throat.

"Oh." Said Briar, his eyes not turning the usual dark green they did when he saw a petty girl.

"Going to buy us a drink then?" She pouted, and reluctantly Briar reached into his money pouch and extracted enough money for one drink.

"There you go." He said irritably, he wanted to be outside. He didn't know what he'd do outside but he wanted to be there.

"So.." Said the raven haired woman, stroking his thigh. Briar turned sharply to the window again but it was too late, both Daja and Sandry stood there, looking like thunder.

"I never." Sandry frowned at Daja.

"It's his life." Daja commented, "Let him do what he wants."

Sandry looked pained, "But I hate it." she said.

"Please, please Sandry tell me you do not have feelings for Briar."

"Daja you're being ridiculous." Sandry retorted, her cheeks coloring.

"Oh mother help us now!" Daja said dryly resting her head on her hand.


	4. feelings

"I'm sorry-" Briar started,

"I don't care." Sandry replied, "It doesn't concern me who you sleep with any way, do what you want."

"But it does-"

"please, it couldn't concern me less if i were your mother."  
Briar closed his mouth, _she's right, you know _a part of him said as he mounted his horse and hung back as Sandry started off at a trot. Briar was surprised when Daja chose to hang back as well and pulled her mare up to his.

"Don't wory about her." She said. "You know Sandry, you know what she's like."

"I thought I did." Briar mumbled.

"I think you should talk to her." Daja told him. "Tell her how you feel."

"How I feel about what?" He started to say, but seeing the look on Daja's face, just nodded.

"Daja I can't." He said after a moments hesitation, "I don't want to hurt her, I don't want anything to happen."

"You've already hurt her." Daja observed.

It was a very long trip back to Summersea, and Briar remembered with dread that he would be staying at Sandry's. He wondered if she would take back the offer. However once they reached the tall metal gates Sandry took that particular worry aside by giving him directions to the guests quaters.

He gave her a winning smile as he passed her but she just stared at him in disgust.

All through their supper there was a tension in the air which couldn't even be removed by Sandry's uncle Vedris's persistant questions of their journey. Daja, every few minutes would look at Briar, raise both eyebrows, look at Sandry pointedly and then look at her plate. Briar spent most of the meal trying to signal for Daja to stop this, while Sandry only stared down at her plate and Vedris was happily oblivious to any of it.

"So tell me again, what exactely did you say to Berenene?" Vedris asked.

"Uncle we've told you at least three times tonight." Sandry spoke up. "Besides, I'm tired, I think I'll retire to my rooms."

The other two mumbled their agreement and Briar saw Daja to the door before going back to the guest rooms, where he sat on the freshly pressed linnen and massaged his head.

Feeling restless Briar reached for his cloak and headed out into the dark garden, passing a young man going into the palace. He supposed he was a quest of Vedris.

"Evening." he said. The man nodded in reply.

Once outside, Briar began to feel more calm. Sitting in a neche behind a fountain that was usually used as an out of sight spot for couples during social events, Briar began to think of what Daja had said.

He wondered how everything had become so complicated since they were now adults. He remembered days spent at dicipline cottage, sittig on the warm thatch. He remembered pulling Sandry's braid and teasing Triss, making juovinile bets with Daja.

The hedge behind Briar rustled with his emontion and he turned and picked on of the newly bloomed flowers, thinking it was much the same colour as the dress Sandry had worn earlier in the day.

The dress Sandry had worn earlier in the day lay rumpled on the floor, and Sandry stood in her peticoat infront of the mirror. She removed the silver necklace she had been wearing and put it on the dressing table just as a knock came at the door.

Sandry's heart leap as she walked towards the door, she pushed it open but her smile dropped.


	5. misunderstandings

"What's the matter?" Finlach fer Hurich stood outside the door.

"Fin?" Sandry asked, "I-I just wasn't expecting it to be you."

"Yes well, as I think we both know we took quite a liking to each other and I've come to Summersea to court you."

"Oh, er." Sandry was fidling with her braid. "How did you get in?" she asked.

"Oh, some young man let me in, tall chap back hair?"

"Briar." Sandry whispered.

"Heh what?" Fin asked.

Sandry opened the door and looked down the corridor but then froze. If Briar wanted he could have come to her rooms, but he was in the garden instead. He didn't care about her.

Briar stood in the shadow of a doorway, watching Sandry open the door, look around and then close it behind the young man.  
He twirled the flower in his fingers and then looked at it with disgust, dropping it to the ground he walked off down the corridor.

"You are as beautiful as a golden flower at the peak of its glory on a fine spring day." Sandry stared at Fin in disbelief,

"The peak of it's what?"

"It is an expression, my dear." He picked up her hand and trailed his lips along her arm. Sandry pulled away.

"What is the matter, my dear?" Fin asked "Is my love to strong for someone so delicate?"

"I think you should go." Sandry said bluntly.

"Indeed, and we shall meet again." He paused for damacy "In the morn." Sandry showed him to the door but paused when she saw the discarded flower.

"Did you bring that?" She asked Fin.

"What?-no, it must be someone elses."

Sandry felt a pang when she saw it. _Roses don't bloom in winter_, She thought hurrrying into the garden.

It was cold. Colder than she'd expected, standing in the dark with nothing but her peticoat.

The dark. She shivered, thinking of the Unmagic, but pushing it to the back of her mind.

"Briar?" She called softly. This was crazy, she thought.

She was about to head back when a vine tendril snuck up behind her and wound tightly around her wrist.

"It likes you." Briar said walking around a corner of the rose hedge. "It wants you to stay."

"Do you want me to stay?" Sandry whispered.

"Yes." Briar whispered back, lacing his fingers through hers as the vine began wraping around both their arms.

"You're cold." he said as he bent down and kissed her on the mouth.

please please review everyone! I want to know how it is, don't be nice, i need to know the truth. (Lol). I'm 14 so its k if you don't like it, i'll just get better when I'm older but please review!!! :) xx


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